The Wood Fossil Workshop, held on 8 May 2026 at the BRIN Bumiayu Field Station, featured Dr Ratih Damayanti as instructor. The workshop aims to strengthen scientific capacity in wood fossil preparation methods and identification in both archaeological and geological contexts. The skills gained through this activity will support and enhance research activities under the RIIM (Research and Innovation for Advanced Indonesia) Civilization Exploration Program in the Bumiayu Region and the Northern Serayu Mountains. This program is led by BRIN’s Research Organization for Archaeology, Language, and Literature, particularly the Research Center for Archaeometry. With improved expertise in wood fossil analysis, researchers can contribute more effectively to reconstructing past environments, vegetation history, and human–environment interactions, thereby providing valuable insights into the development of ancient landscapes and civilizations in the region.

The workshop involved researchers from the Research Center for Archaeometry and other research centers within BRIN’s Research Organization for Archaeology, Language, and Literature, as well as Degree by Research (DbR) students under the RIIM Bumiayu platform and participants of the 2026 RIIM Bumiayu Research Internship Program. The workshop combined classroom-based instruction with hands-on laboratory exercises, enabling participants to develop both a conceptual understanding and practical skills in wood fossil preparation and identification. The training focused on two main components: 

1. Micro-Structural Preparation, where participants learn about fossil wood sample preparation techniques to produce precise axial (transverse), radial, and tangential sections. This procedure is carried out in accordance with SNI 13 4175 1996, which contains methods for preparing rocks and minerals. Determining the section planes (axial, radial, and tangential) is a factor that differentiates the preparation of fossil wood from rocks and minerals. 

2. Taxonomic Identification Based on Tissue Morphology: Understanding the characteristics of plant tissue structure—such as vascular patterns, parenchyma, and pith rays—is a fundamental foundation in the process of plant taxonomic identification. Workshop participants were equipped with initial knowledge of diagnostic characteristics that were used to determine the taxonomic identity of wood fossils. 

Wood fossils are important ecofacts that provide evidence for reconstructing past vegetation, environmental conditions, and climate dynamics, as well as identifying anthropogenic activities such as the use of fire in ancient times. Surveys conducted by the RIIM Civilization Exploration Team in the Bumiayu Region and the Northern Serayu Mountains have documented the presence of wood fossils along the Aur, Jurang, Glagah, and Cisaat Rivers. In addition, local conservation communities have reported numerous fossil wood discoveries across various river basins throughout the Bumiayu area. This workshop provided participants with fundamental knowledge and practical skills for the preliminary identification of wood fossils, as an essential foundation for future archaeological, geological, and paleoenvironmental investigations. The knowledge gained can support ongoing research within the RIIM Civilization Exploration Program by facilitating more accurate identification and interpretation of fossil wood remains. Ultimately, the interpretation of wood fossil remains will contribute to the reconstruction of past vegetation, environmental conditions, and ecosystem dynamics in the Bumiayu region, supporting broader efforts within the RIIM Civilization Exploration Program to understand the environmental setting and human–environment relationships that shaped past civilizations in Bumiayu and the Northern Serayu Mountains. These data will enhance our understanding of landscape evolution and human–environment interactions, providing a stronger scientific basis for exploring the environmental context of past civilizations in the Bumiayu Region and the Northern Serayu.